Objects are rising out of the ground, like some kind of miracle. Gravel and mud and rocks shoot up into the air as these things push their way to the surface. The music is even louder now, as though belting out from the big massive speakers they have in nightclubs and gig venues. It hurts my ears to listen to it. I close my hands over them to block some of it out. The object that is pushing its way up in the centre of the island seems to be gaining headway, it is the largest of them all. It rises out of the ground like an enormous zombie rising from a grave, or a strange ground monster coming to life out of the depths of the earth
And then I can make out what it is, a house. Vines and mud coat its exterior. If it weren’t for this then I would almost describe it as stately. Once it has finished its ascent I can see that it has about four levels and is almost as wide as a quarter of the whole island. “That’s Theodore’s old mansion, the one that disappeared back in the sixties. I’m certain of it,” says Rita, talking loudly so as to be heard over the music. Alvie lets out a curse that I won’t repeat.
I turn to look over at Marcel and Gabriel. Both of them are standing stock still, and it is clear that they recognise the house also. So this is definitely Theodore we’re dealing with, or perhaps just a really powerful impersonator. How much magic would it take to pull off a stunt like this? Perhaps more than all of the magic users present would hold combined.
I jump when my pocket begins to buzz, but then I remember it’s my phone. Sometimes you need the mundane to snap you out of your fear of the fantastical. I laugh involuntarily, but it is afraid rather than joyful. I pull out the little black phone and lift it to my ear. Ethan’s name is on the screen. Oh crap. Do I really want to deal with this right now?
Nonetheless I answer. “Hello?” Although I doubt I can be heard over the music. Still, Ethan’s voice comes through loud and clear. I look over and see that he’s staring straight at me as he holds his phone to his ear.
“What on earth are you doing over there with that slayer?” he demands, and I don’t like the accusatory tone of his voice. As though I belong to him and should not even consider any notions of free will. It’s also predictable that he would notice I’m standing close to Finn, even though my arm is linked through Rita’s.
“Is this really the time to be talking about this Ethan? Because I think there are more important issues at hand. Like say the house that seems to be rising out of the ground over there.” I gesture frantically over to the island.
“That is the slayer from the other night, have you been in league with him all this time?” he questions, ignoring what I’ve said.
“He’s friends with Marcel and Gabriel.” I tell him, not bothering to go into detail.
He seems to consider it for a moment before he accepts. “Right, well you’d better get over here. I can’t see any of this ending well and I need to be able to protect you.”
All around people are making noises of shock and astonishment, and even a little bit of awe. I turn back to the island and see that the other objects have now risen to the surface. Carn
ival rides. Dirt spills off them and miraculously they are all lit up with lights of various colours; red, blue, yellow, green. The chair-o-planes spin around and around, twirling out of the ground like a humongous screw driver. The merry-go-round horses do the same. Around and around, it’s enough to make a person dizzy.
I return to my conversation with Ethan. “I can’t go over to you. All hell would break lose if I walked over the divide.”
“Everybody is watching Theodore’s display,” he tells me. “Run across now and nobody will notice. I will catch you on the other side.”
“It’s too risky.”
“It’s a lot more risky if you stay where you are. Both sides are itching for a fight and I can’t let you get caught in the crossfire. Come now Tegan,” he pauses a second. “Please.”
“I’m with my friends, I’m not leaving them.”
“Bring them with you.”
“They’re magic users, Ethan. They can’t go over there.”
He’s just about to respond when the music stops, and everybody goes still and silent. All you can hear is the click and whirr of the motors that are working the fair rides across the water. Other than that the silence is deafening. Nobody knowing what will happen next. I hang up on Ethan and put my phone back in my pocket. A chill comes over me and I pull my coat tighter.
A moment later I hear footsteps tapping down on the hard concrete of the ground. They sound as though they are coming from the direction of the parting between the two sides. All heads turn to the gap and gasps ensue as those closest see who is making their way through the centre of the gathering.
It’s not long before the person passes by us and I see a man with paler than pale skin, and jet black hair that has two twisty spikes on each side of his head. He’s a bizarre looking character, but also absolutely terrifying. He’s wearing a glittery black coat with tails with a frilly white shirt underneath and a black dickey bow. Black slacks and shiny black shoes. He looks like Mr Mistoffelees from the musical Cats, it is quite fear inducing.
“Is that Theodore?” I whisper to Rita, in the smallest voice possible.
“I’ve never seen him in the flesh before, but from my mother’s description I’d say that’s him. He has a bit of a unique fashion sense.”
“You can say that again,” I reply.
Theodore seems to walk on the tips of his toes like a graceful ballet dancer, he is the oddest individual I have ever encountered. He even does a little pirouette when he gets to the head of the crowd, finishing off his performance. And what a performance it was.
The fair rides are still moving, and the house looks like something out of the Addams Family. I find it strange that nobody is shouting abuse at him or breaking out in violence. From what I’ve been told, Theodore had been very much hated in his day, so I can’t understand why these people are simply standing motionless and saying nothing as he makes his display.
“Vampires, Dhamphirs, Warlocks and Witches of Tribane I thank you for your attendance at my homecoming,” says Theodore, in the accent of a man who has lived a long, long time, a voice that should no longer exist amongst the world of today. I cannot place it as I have never before heard anything like it. “I see some new faces and some old ones, and some very, very interesting ones,” he continues, and I would swear his dead eyes fell on me for the briefest fraction of a second. I feel like crawling inside of my own skin at the thought that he’d been referring to me.
“I have been gone for quite some time, yet it feels as though I have never left. I am very pleased to be home, and I am ready to take back the territory I left behind,” says Theodore, eyeing Antonia closely. She looks just about ready to burst.
“What makes you think you can do anything of the sort?” she hisses, seeming even deadlier in the darkness that has descended.